KOLKATA: Vodafone India has inked a strategic pact with Walmart India that would enable business members of Walmart-owned Best Price wholesale stores to make payments using the British telco's M-Pesa mobile wallet services.

The partnership will enable business members of six Best Price modern wholesale stores, owned and operated by Walmart India, to make payments using Vodafone’s M-Pesa mobile wallet service from their cellphones anywhere, anytime.

As part of the partnership, Vodafone M-Pesa will enable safe, secure and convenient transactions, making it easier for all members in Lucknow, Amravati, Aurangabad, Hyderabad, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada and Guntur to make faster payments and also help Walmart ensure timely delivery of goods.

Under this arrangement, when a Best Price store member based in any of these cities places an order with Walmart India, a Vodafone M-Pesa agent will reach out to him and enable cash-in into his M-Pesa account. This will allow the member to make payments from his cellphone for goods ordered from Walmart’s Best Price Cash & Carry store. After receiving a confirmation message, Walmart India will immediately dispatch goods to the member.

Vodafone India’s business head, M-Pesa Suresh Sethi said the company is “confident this association would go a long way in simplifying the payments process for Walmart India from the members, especially resellers based in secondary markets."

Rajneesh Kumar, VP and Head (Corporate Affairs) at Walmart India said the partnership "would benefit our members, especially kiranas/resellers, due to the convenience of payment along with efficient delivery of quality products at their doorstep."

This first-of-its-kind partnership with Walmart India, gives all its members, including small businesses such as kiranas and resellers, the benefit of sending money through their mobiles instantly and securely and run their customer facing businesses more efficiently and in hassle-free manner, Vodafone India said in a statement issued Wednesday.

With a pan-India distribution of over 90,000 agents and more than 3 million customers, Vodafone M-Pesa is the largest banking correspondent in the country and is playing a vital role in enabling financial inclusion and m-commerce.